Don't Look Behind You
by PenguinRegina
Summary: What is Sandal? What is his special talent, really? We know Sandal has powers unlike any mage in Thedas, much less any other dwarf. A speculative look at this intriguing character. Bioware owns all. Please read and review, I'd love to hear your thoughts!
1. An unusual find

Chapter 1

Bodahn Feddic looked in wonder at the quiet toddler sitting in the midst of the ruins of the thaig. This outlying tunnel had been recently attacked and Bodahn had thought it deserted. The Infant looked up at him with enormous watery blue eyes, uncommon among dwarfs. Bodahn, had no wife or children of his own, but had grown up with plenty of nieces and nephews. He instinctively picked up the child and went looking for his parents. If the child was here and in good health, surely there was an adult with it.

Bodahn looked all over the little settlement. Only the gruesome remains of the previous inhabitants seemed to linger. He began to fret over the child. What kind of monster would leave a babe in a tunnel that had only just had darkspawn activity? The more he thought of it, the less he thought he should give the boy back to whoever would do such a thing.

He placed the boy in his cart along with the meager items he had acquired on the way. Some shovels, a few bits of jewelry, some clothes and a pair of sandals. The babe was immediately fascinated with the shinning baubles, cooing and reaching for them with his stubby hands. Bodahn, seeing no harm in it, handed the boy a gold necklace to play with. The child very seriously examined it meticulously.

"What a curious child" Bodahn commented to no one at all. Travelling alone all the time, he was used to talking to himself. Seeing that the child was well, he made his way to the encampment. These folks had been lyrium miners, barely a step above Dusters in the severely stratified dwarven society. Some baskets of raw lyrium testified to a nearby vein of the precious material. Bodahn quietly moved some of the lyrium to a strongbox on his cart. When the mine owners came, it wouldn't do for them to find everything gone. However, a bit of salvage never hurt anyone. He went into the nearest hovel and looked for any valuables. Picking up a few baubles and curiosities, he moved on to the second hut.

Within he saw a man, a woman and a small girl, barely older than the babe on his cart, all slaughtered viciously by the darkspawn, weeks ago. Bodahn lowered his head in reverence and gave a quick prayer to the Ancestors, commending these poor souls into the Stone. He looked around, finding mostly clothes and trampled food within. He knew better than to take anything organic from where darkspawn had been. He searched the bedrooms and there he made a startling discovery, a crib turned on its side during the struggle.

Bodahn frowned. The only babe, living or dead, he had seen was the boy on his cart. He found clothes, shoes the right size for the child he had picked up. A creeping cold ran down his spine.

"It cannot be **that** child, surely the monsters took these people's babe with them...surely." Bodahn muttered to himself, absently picking up toys and clothes appropriate for the boy.

Leaving the house he looked at the slaughtered family again and was struck by the woman's fair hair as she lay face down next to her husband for eternity. The girl was fair as well...like the boy.

"A family member, a nephew perhaps? The mother may have been so distraught that she...forgot...her own child?" Bodahn tried to wrap his head around the enigma of the living child. He looked to the cart and there was the babe, still playing with the necklace, carefully running the gold chain over his little hands. The babe seemed to feel Bodahn's gaze and pierced him with his pale gaze.

Bodahn shuddered and looked to the family again. Part of him wanted to know, part of him wanted to run away from all of this, cart, baby and all. However a lifetime of caring for his sisters' babes would not let him do such a travesty. He placed the baby clothes and effect in a box near the lyrium.

He looked at the baby in his cart one more time. "What will I call you? No one here can tell me your name." At the sound the baby looked into Bodahn's eyes for the first time and gave him a goofy smile. Leaving the necklace, the boy crawled towards the other wares in the cart. He sat on the pile of clothes and solemnly picked up one of the sandals there. He offered it up to Bodahn, making an inquiring sound.

"That's a sandal, boy. No need for that now" He said fondly. The babe insisted, pushing the shoe at Bodahn. He took it even as the child picked up the other one and put it on his head. Bodahn couldn't help but smile. "You like them sandals, don't you?" The boy smiled his gap toothed smile again, offering the second sandal to Bodahn. "Well, sandal-boy, I will head towards town and see who is missing you, eh?"

Having decided, he packed up his meager findings and headed back towards the living, letting the dead keep their secrets.


	2. A particular affinity

Chapter 2

Bodahn's mother had been ecstatic when he had turned up with the quiet babe five years before. She had despaired that her youngest's wandering ways would never get him a wife, and more importantly, a child. No one had claimed the babe, and for all his inquiries, no one seemed to be looking for him either. The toddler was so quiet and so even-tempered that Bodahn very quickly grew to love him. After a week with him, Bodahn quietly decided to adopt the child. He couldn't doom him to growing up as an unwanted Duster in Orzammar, what with no family to care for him. Besides, he enjoyed having someone to talk to on the road, even if the boy barely spoke.

"Sandal! Don't get too far ahead of me boy!" Bodahn cried out down the tunnel to his son. Sandal had run ahead as he usually did. The boy had an uncanny ability to find lyrium. Bodahn had decided that he would simply accept the boy's strangeness as just part of what he was.

"Shiny!"He called excitedly back to his father. "Ah, you've found lyrium then! Good going lad!" Bodahn pulled his cart more quickly to claim the boy's prize.

Sandal was kneeling by a bright blue vein of lyrium wearing a beatific look on his face. His pale eyes were washed out by the light and it made them appear colorless. His smiling lips seemed to be forming words, but no sound came of it.

Bodahn made the best attempt to ignore that as he pulled on his gloves and pickaxe to mine the vein. He was not a great miner, but the boy's affinity with lyrium had increased his earnings significantly. He was willing to overlook the strangeness that comes with increased profits.

Sandal easily steped away and allowed his father to mine the lyrium. Bodahn put it in the lockbox and put away his mining equipment. They move towards an old thaig, long abandoned, and probably free of darkspawn. The lyrium increases his earnings, true, but his bread and butter were still the salvage from the forgotten tunnels of his people.

Born and bred a surface dwarf, Bodahn worked in conjunction with the shops his family had topside. He enjoyed the mild adventure his lifestyle provided. He took pleasure in exploring the old places of his ancestor (and he imagined _all_ these long-dead dwarves as his ancestors). He looked fondly at his son and imagined the day Sandal might take over doing this for him. He felt his heart swell with love for the boy, despite the nagging voice in his head that argued that this was not probably going to happen.

They eventually found the thaig they were looking for. "Alright boy, you know what I want you to do. Look for anything that seems good to sell that we can get into the cart." He patted the boy's head as Sandal looked up at him with his usual bemused expression.

"I like the shiny!" He informed his dad.

"Yes lad, I know. You let me know if you find any shiny" He gave him one last affectionate pat and went into one of the dusty houses to seek merchandise.

After a successful, and uneventful day of picking through old thaig materials, Bodahn settled down near his cart to make supper for them.

As he stirred their usual nug stew, he heard a tuneless humming coming from the cart. Frowning, he moved towards the noise.

At the back of the cart, he saw the boy playing with something, humming to himself. Bodahn got closer to the oblivious child to see what had the boy occupied.

Bodahn took a sharp intake of breath when he finally saw what his son had found to play with; a piece of lyrium, large as his fist.

"Sandal! Put that down boy! Your hands!" He cried out as he scrambled to put on his gloves to handle the lyrium.

Sandal, becoming agitated by his father's anxiety, dropped the lyrium and ran under the cart.

Bodahn picked up the dangerous stone and dropped it into the lockbox, getting it out of the boy's reach.

"Come here my boy! Show me your hands! Oh Ancestors, I hope you haven't done..." Bodahn's wails were cut short when the boy sheepishly came forth and showed him his little hands.

Nothing was wrong.

Oh, they were slightly pinkish, like a minor sunburn, but Bodahn was steeling himself to lose some of the lad's fingers.

Sandal looked into his father's amazed face and smiled. "I like the shiny!" he said by way of explanation.

"And it seems to like you back. By the stone!" Bodahn felt like he was in a dream. The boy should be horribly burned, but thank all the Ancestors he wasn't. Once again he was forcibly reminded of the boy's origins. "Perhaps they let some lyrium into your food as a babe. That might explain your...peculiarities." Bodahn muttered in relieved shock.

Sandal looked at his father earnestly and frowned when his stomach rumbled. The sound brought Bodahn out of his reverie. Surface dwarves were nothing if not practical, and his son was well and he was hungry. That was enough for Bodahn.

"Come here then. Let's eat."

Sandal took his father's hand and happily allowed himself to be led to supper.


	3. Greedy eyes

Chapter 3

"There you go serah! Pleasure doing business with you." Bodahn declared merrily as he exchanged the last of their lyrium for a fine purse full of sovereigns with the tranquil buyer at the mage tower.

The tranquil mage nodded impassively, his face showing neither pleasure nor distaste at the transaction. It had been curious haggling for a final price with someone who showed no emotions at all. Bodahn had heard that the tranquil felt nothing, but he had found that hard to believe until now. The ways of mages were a mystery to Bodahn and were welcome to remain that way as far as he was concerned. He simply provided them with lyrium.

"Come along Sandal!" He called to his son. The boy had suddenly grown tall this past year. He was still filling out, but he was almost at his adult height. Bodahn smiled at the sight of him ambling hurriedly towards his father, a wide smile on his face. The boy was simple, true, but sweet and easy-going. The intense afternoon light shone brightly off Sandal's blond hair, his pale blue eyes wide with some newly-discovered pleasure. Bodahn's reverie was broken when he realized that another tranquil was following Sandal towards him.

He frowned. "What did you do lad?" he asked when Sandal was close enough to hear him.

"Enchantment!" He replied giddily as he thrust something at Bodahn's hands.

Reacting automatically, Bodahn took the object. It was a small stone with a rune etched in the middle.

"We must give this back my lad. I'm sure the gentleman only meant to show it to you." He said acknowledging the tranquil who had just caught up to the pair.

"Ser dwarf, may I enquire where your son learned runecraft?" The tranquil said without preamble.

"Runecraft? I've taught the boy to recognize some common runes, but he doesn't know any runecraft. Why, you need magic for that, don't you? We _are_ dwarfs." Bodahn chuckled uncomfortably under the scrutiny of the two tranquil who now stared at him unblinkingly.

"The rune you hold was made by your son. He was watching me create a rune and when I was finished he made one just like it." the tranquil stated. "I inquire, because it is fine workmanship and we would highly prize his skill in our workshop."

Bodahn's eyes widened and he turned towards his son. Sandal was smiling vacantly, playing with some little thing in his hands. Feeling Bodahn's gaze on him, Sandal grinned and offered his father what he had in his hands. Another runestone, identical to the first.

"Enchantment!" he cried excitedly.

Bodahn momentarily looked between the tranquil patiently awaiting his answer and his son, gleefully enchanting the little stones underfoot.

"Perhaps we can stay and you can show him some other runes. I don't know how he'd done this!" Bodahn said, feeling entirely out of his depth. "Sandal, would you like to learn more enchantment?" Bodahn asked the lad.

Sandal nodded enthusiastically.

"Then, is there some place we can stay?" Bodahn asked the tranquil. There was no way he was simply leaving his boy with these strangers. If he liked what he saw and the boy seemed comfortable, then...well, he'd consider it.

With his heart heavy, Bodahn hefted his cart and followed the tranquil to the mage tower.

* * *

Bodahn didn't know what to do with himself in the tower. He was used to wandering the open road, buying and selling, exploring as was his wont. This quasi-imprisonment was wearing on his patience. It had been a month since Sandal had been asked to join the enchanting workshop at the tower. The mages and templars had marveled at how easily Sandal learned the different runes. He had only to watch someone create an enchantment once and he could replicate it. After a few tries he was actually improving the quality of the runes taught him. The First Enchanter herself had come to marvel at the boy's ability. A 'savant' they called him. Bodahn's heart had filled with paternal pride at his son's achievements. Everyone seemed delighted with the young dwarf. Sandal was ecstatic to make rune after rune.

"And yet...it doesn't feel right" he muttered to himself, his habit of old.

Bodahn didn't like that there was always a mage or two watching Sandal, taking notes. One of them had asked to measure and draw Sandal's hands. Bodahn had been asked numerous questions about the boy's parentage which he had felt uneasy answering, so he lied and said the boy was his own and his mother had died birthing him. The mages had seemed disappointed. They had asked Sandal about his dreams, but the boy simply smiled and gave them a rune.

"They want something, but what?" he mumbled as he found his feet taking him to the workshop.

Sandal was watching Gerard, the tranquil rune-master, apparently learning some new rune. As soon as Gerard finished, Sandal picked up his stone and quickly reproduced what had taken the tranquil much longer to create. A mage watching opened her mouth in surprise.

"As you can see, the youth is capable of immediately copying my work. But he often improves on it as well. His runes are more powerful than mine. It is remarkable." Gerard said without emotion.

The mage observing went forward to examine Sandal's work and compared it to Gerard's. "It's amazing!" She said "Perhaps we should try to enter his dreams in the Fade, see what kind of connection he has there. There shouldn't be anything there, but what if there is? It would be a once in a lifetime opportunity!" the mage expressed excitedly.

Sandal smiled and nodded, just happy to see the woman pleased. "I make enchantments!" he said by way of an explanation.

"You certainly do. Has the father released him to us yet?" She asked Gerard, not yet having seen Bodahn enter the room.

Bodahn's eyes grew wide. "He's my son, and you have no right to be taking him! He's not a mage, so you can't claim him in your Circle!" He stomped furiously between the mage and his son.

The mage was momentarily taken aback by Bodahn's reaction. "I meant no disrespect ser, but we could learn so much from him. He is unique!" She said in a way that he supposed she intended as placatory.

It did not work.

"My boy and I will be going tomorrow. We thank you for your hospitality." He said angrily, taking the lad's hand. Without another word, he led Sandal to their tiny room in the tower.

"Pack your things lad, we're leaving now. I don't like their greedy eyes. By morning they will have found some way to stop us." he said as he stuffed their few possession into an empty sack. Sandal obeyed and packed his things in silence, his eyes wide in confusion.

Before anyone was the wiser, Bodahn had taken his cart from the abandoned stables and an hour later was well away from the tower.

"Don't you fear my boy, I will always do everything in my power to keep you safe. Them mages were getting some odd ideas about you. Well, they can forget about it." He huffed angrily, letting his outrage ooze out of him.

Never one to keep angry for long, Bodahn turned to his son. "Well boy, at least you have a new skill! Enchanting is good business. We'll head to Denerim and try our luck there. They have plenty of soldiers and mercenaries that will pay well for a good rune. We'll come out on top just yet, you'll see!"

"Enchantment!" Sandal agreed happily as they made their way down the road, the tower all but forgotten.


	4. Formidable folks

Chapter 4

"Give us the cart, dwarf!" the sweating human growled at Bodahn.

Bodahn shook his head and put Sandal behind him, trying to bodily shield his son from the desperate outlaws that had accosted them outside of the little town of Lotherin. They had headed south, thinking that the rumors about Blight were just humans over-reacting to a bit of darkspawn activity. Humans always thought that the darkspawn disappeared after a Blight, but dwarves knew better than anyone that they were always there, always active. Bodahn had been lucky to not run into any darkspawn during his explorations of abandoned thaigs, but he had seen their depredations first hand.

These humans however had turned into lawless bandits. They had taken the worst aspect of the situation and become predators themselves. Bodahn had just come south, hearing of the scarcity of goods and thought to make good profit bringing supplies from the north.

"If I give you the cart, you'll leave my boy and me alone, eh?" Bodahn called out with more bravado than he felt.

One of the dirty humans gave an ugly bark of a laugh. A rather big one in the back looked sad as he looked on them. The leader's eyes shifted from the cart to the dwarves and gave a hasty nod.

"Not true" Sandal said quietly at his father's ear.

The quiet words went through Bodahn like a bolt. Sandal was usually fairly oblivious to what happened around him. Bodahn peeked at his son's face and he saw a strange determination on the boy's young face. He was all of seventeen years old, but his usual simplicity made him seem much younger. His pale blue eyes were fixed on the bandits' leader and his right hand was furiously turning something over and over. Bodahn felt the air around him crackling like a frost and wondered if the stress of the situation was causing him to feel things.

Bodahn hated to give up his goods, but he hoped that the bandits would allow them to escape, despite Sandal's dire pronouncement.

He pushed the cart towards the men, putting it between them and the rather dubious escape route. The outlying farms of Lotherin looked ever so far away to him now. He silently cursed the human bandits and their ridiculous long legs. Dwarves were many fine things, but being great runners was not one of them. He hoped the men would be more interested in getting the goods from his cart than in chasing them down.

He was about to whisper their retreat to Sandal, when suddenly another group of humans showed up. Bodahn groaned quietly. More ruffians probably. Their prospects seemed grim.

However, this new group was not exactly like the others (not that Bodahn could tell too well. Humans mostly all looked the same to him). The new group was led by a large man with a gigantic hammer strapped to his back. A blond warrior was with him as well as two women, one with short red hair and another barely wearing clothes and dark hair. The man with the war-hammer spoke harshly with the bandit leader.

Bodahn could barely make out any words, in the nervous state he was in.

Suddenly the man with the hammer and his companions were pulling out their weapons. The dark haired woman turned into a giant spider and the red haired woman pelted the bandits with arrow after arrow while the two men charged in, creating a bloody path with their weapons. Bodahn fell back, taking hold of Sandal and hiding behind some fallen masonry.

Almost as quickly as it started, the fight was over. The original bandits were slain and the new group was looking through their pockets for money and supplies. The man with the hammer came towards Bodahn, holding up a bloody palm in a placating gesture.

Sandal ran out and smiled at the man. Bodahn, whether he wanted to or not, followed his son. Hoping for the best, he spoke with gratitude. "We thought we was done for. Much obliged to you for saving us. The road has been mighty dangerous of late. "

The man smiled sincerely and nodded accepting his thanks graciously. "We're Gray Wardens seeking help in fighting this Blight. We were just leaving Lotherin and saw you being harassed. Do you need any more assistance?" he asked gently, more so than his fierce demeanor would belie.

"Oh, we're perfectly well. I'm Bodahn Feddic and this is my son, Sandal. Merchant and entrepreneur, at your service." He figured that if these people wanted to harm them, they would have done so already. Being a merchant, his first instinct was always to be as friendly as possible.

"Hullo" Sandal said brightly.

The Warden smiled and nodded to each in turn.

"Gray Wardens, eh? That's more excitement than we normally look for. We'll clean up this mess and be on our way. You have our gratitude for your help Warden." He took Sandal by the elbow and led him away. The warrior group went on their way as father and son stacked the bodies. Once they were done, they set fire to the ruffians, leaving a greasy spot as the only remainder of their existence.

"Good riddance. Come on boy, let's get our things together." Bodahn said. Sandal was staring off in the direction the warriors had taken.

"Now lad, them's heading towards more trouble than we want. They was very nice folks, but we don't want any trouble. We should head back north, away from all these refugees. Desperate people do rash, desperate things." He said as he fixed his cart and made sure his merchandise was appropriately packed.

"They need us." Sandal said in an uncommonly eloquent way. He turned his watery blue eyes on his father. The look pled to follow the adventurers on their quest.

"What's got into you my boy? They are fine. They don't need us! Neither of us can wield a weapon. Where they're going, we would only hamper them." Bodahn said with finality. He hitched his cart and began to lead it down the road.

Sandal gave a powerful sigh and, crestfallen, followed his father.

Bodahn was sick with having denied his son. The boy never asked for anything. The simplest things made him happy.

But to follow these Gray Wardens! It was madness!

What could they contribute? Well…supplies for one thing…and adventurers often brought back all kinds of things to sell…

He considered the idea in a new light. A Blight meant danger at every turn, but the Wardens were mighty warriors, their camp might be the safest place in all Thedas right now…

"Ah my boy, I can never deny you anything! We will follow your Gray Wardens. I imagine they'll welcome our supplies and your enchantment. We'll see if we can catch up to the Wardens tonight when they make camp." He said merrily. Bodahn always enjoyed adventures, even if danger not so much.

"Enchantment!" Sandal cried out happily.

"Yes lad. We will enchant them and see if they'll accept our help." Bodahn said, hitching his cart.

"Heroes!" Sandal said merrily as he led his father towards the warriors.


End file.
